Starting golf at the age of 19. How many lessons per week?

[adamscottmaster2013]

I am 19 years old and I just started playing golf for the past six months.  Before playing golf, I play D1 college tennis for a university.  I am very fortunate that my family has enough money to support my golf passion.  My father bought me a brand new Taylormade P790 iron set, 3 wood, 5 wood, driver, SW, putter.  On top of that, my mother is paying for my golf lessons twice a week at $200/hr.  My father is also paying for my driving range practive, golf course fee.  I practice two hours everyday on the driving range and play on the golf course three times a week.  I think my golf game is getting better but it is not where I want to be.

 

Since summer is around the corner, I would like to increase my golf lesson to three times a week.  However, people are telling me that it is a waste of money, and that I should take lesson once a week and increase the practice time.  I would like to get good this summer so that I might try out as a "walk-on" for my college golf team.

 

How many lessons per week is enough?

 

Best,

Adam

[MonteScheinblum]

You don’t want lessons near that often.  You need self discovery and allow yourself to make mistakes to know where you go wrong.  My clients only get lessons every 4-6 weeks.  You need to figure things out for yourself because no one will be there when you tee it up.  
 

As a tennis player, if you understand a right handed golf swing is very much like a left handed cross court back hand, you will progress nicely.

[ctmason_98]

I respectfully disagree Monte.  I think the young man is asking the wrong question. 

 

It's how many lessons - PER DAY. 

[adamscottmaster2013]

13 minutes ago, MonteScheinblum said:

You don’t want lessons near that often.  You need self discovery and allow yourself to make mistakes to know where you go wrong.  My clients only get lessons every 4-6 weeks.  You need to figure things out for yourself because no one will be there when you tee it up.  
 

As a tennis player, if you understand a right handed golf swing is very much like a left handed cross court back hand, you will progress nicely.

Hi Monte -  I am the point now where I can consistently hit the draw and fade without any issues.  I can also drive 270 yards with the Taylormade driver.  I am currently working on my short game such as chipping, bunker shot and putting.  School just ended and I would like to use the next 14 weeks to really improve my golf game before I can go try out as golf college "walk-on".  I am 5 feet 11 inches tall and weigh 180 lbs.  The golf instructor told me that I already have nice footwork, hip rotation and smooth delivery because of my tennis.

 

I just want to get myself as ready as I can before September when I try out for the golf team, thus I asked how many lessons per week should I take?

[adamscottmaster2013]

19 minutes ago, ctmason_98 said:

I respectfully disagree Monte.  I think the young man is asking the wrong question. 

 

It's how many lessons - PER DAY. 

 

I am not sure I follow you.  Can you elaborate?

[MonteScheinblum]

14 minutes ago, adamscottmaster2013 said:

Hi Monte -  I am the point now where I can consistently hit the draw and fade without any issues.  I can also drive 270 yards with the Taylormade driver.  I am currently working on my short game such as chipping, bunker shot and putting.  School just ended and I would like to use the next 14 weeks to really improve my golf game before I can go try out as golf college "walk-on".  I am 5 feet 11 inches tall and weigh 180 lbs.  The golf instructor told me that I already have nice footwork, hip rotation and smooth delivery because of my tennis.

 

I just want to get myself as ready as I can before September when I try out for the golf team, thus I asked how many lessons per week should I take?

I get it and I’m telling you that too many is a bad thing.  I would not get a lesson more than once every 2-3 weeks.

[MrJones]

You need to make sure you're giving yourself enough time between lessons to really work on what you learned. Takes a long while to really incorporate new things into our swings and setups.

[FirstFlight]

Do what it takes to get a Handicap Index this summer(maybe you already have that covered), and play many matches and even some stroke play qualifiers. Get some competitive golf 'kung fu' under your belt this summer, you will, pat yourself on the back for doing so. 

Make sure you always have spray foot powder in your bag 😉

Cheers

[ohioboy757]

If I had your opportunity I would take a playing lesson every Monday and let my coach drive what to work on.  You need to learn strategy more than golf swing to improve quickly. 
 

 

[ctmason_98]

1 hour ago, adamscottmaster2013 said:

 

I am not sure I follow you.  Can you elaborate?

I can. I’m a clown in life and on the golf course. Especially is you saw me off the tee. 
 

I’m joking. 

[Shushwap]

I see my coach once every 3 weeks or so.. I don't see how seeing someone more then once a week can really help.. u go in and they say u are still doing this or that wrong and u need to work on this or that 

U need to learn the feels of what they are teaching and the only way to do that is practice practice practice 

[naval2006]

It'd be good to see your coach and ask him for specific drills to work on between lessons.  You need determination and hard work in this time to get your swing going.  Hope the best for you and keep us posted on your road to play good golf.

[phizzy30]

3 hours ago, adamscottmaster2013 said:

Hi Monte -  I am the point now where I can consistently hit the draw and fade without any issues.  I can also drive 270 yards with the Taylormade driver.  I am currently working on my short game such as chipping, bunker shot and putting.  School just ended and I would like to use the next 14 weeks to really improve my golf game before I can go try out as golf college "walk-on".  I am 5 feet 11 inches tall and weigh 180 lbs.  The golf instructor told me that I already have nice footwork, hip rotation and smooth delivery because of my tennis.

 

I just want to get myself as ready as I can before September when I try out for the golf team, thus I asked how many lessons per week should I take?

Monte is right.  Too many golf lessons aren't exactly a good thing.  When I was in high school, I would get lessons on a weekly basis.  I was a 2 cap starting senior year in high school and maintained that into my late 20's before getting hitched and I started expanding my business exponentially.  You have one thing going for you which is that you're already athletic and you're muscle memory is used to the swinging movement.  If you want to make your college team you need to start working out in the gym in order to increase distance off the tee.  I'm sorry to tell you and will be brutally honest with you, but 270 off the tee isn't going to cut it at the college level unless your short game kicks so much a** that it makes up for lack of distance.  I played on my college team as a walk on and I started working out in the gym at your age because I knew I need to be longer than 285 off the tee.  I am a personal trainer so let me know if you need any help with the fitness side of things. 

Edited May 12, 2021 by phizzy30

[stephenmatt]

If you are working on certain things like backswing or transition and want to do weekly check ins where basically you hit balls and they watch and make sure you are continuing to practice the right things then I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. Trying to work on a completely different thing to improve on week by week won't work though.

Edited May 12, 2021 by stephenmatt

[fronesis]

6 hours ago, MonteScheinblum said:

As a tennis player, if you understand a right handed golf swing is very much like a left handed cross court back hand, you will progress nicely.

 

It took me about 30 years of playing golf (sometimes at fairly high levels) to grasp the deep truth of this statement. 

[STL_Baller]

Lessons are a good resource as there is no replacement for a well trained eye when it comes to building a swing that is solid under tournament pressure.  I wouldn't do more than once a week of you were to alternate short game and full swing lessons each week.  Also don't be too much of a range rat....there's nothing that will help you learn faster and get better faster than playing a lot of golf.  Get on the USGA site and find tournaments in your area, get a GHIN established and put what you learn in lessons and practice rounds to the test....its the fastest way to grow as a player that I know of.

[adamscottmaster2013]

2 hours ago, stephenmatt said:

If you are working on certain things like backswing or transition and want to do weekly check ins where basically you hit balls and they watch and make sure you are continuing to practice the right things then I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. Trying to work on a completely different thing to improve on week by week won't work though.

 

Hi Stephen, 

That's exactly what the coach and I are doing.

 

I was training to be a tennis player since the age of six.  My current tennis UTR is 11.8, good enough to play for lower tier D1 college tennis.  I practice golf two hours everyday.  On the day I play on the golf course, I practice golf 90 minutes at the driving/chipping/putting range before playing the 18 holes of golf.  I also workout two hours everyday with a physical trainer specifically in both golf and tennis.  I feel like I am pretty good shape. I can run 1 mile in under five minutes.  I also practice tennis three hours everyday.  My mother is certified nutritionist and she has diet plan for me while I am training for the next four months.  Hopefully, I will be enough to make the golf team.  If I do not make the golf team, I will rejoin the tennis team.

 

It will make both of my parents so happy if I can walk-on the college golf team.  They have given up a lot for me and I do not want to disappoint them.

[blues72]

A different way to look at this is, how can I learn multiple facets of the game at one time?  I completely agree that you shouldn’t take full swing lessons more than once every two weeks, Max.  However, you could take additional lessons on other elements of the game such as short game, bunker play and putting or learn about course management strategies.  
 

These will all develop your skills and lower your scores and won’t be competing with one another as they are all complimentary to a solid game.

[YMark]

7 hours ago, adamscottmaster2013 said:

Hi Monte -  I am the point now where I can consistently hit the draw and fade without any issues. 

 

A lot of people can do this. The problem is only doing it when they want to and not doing it when they don't want to.

[llewol007]

Wow that is a lot of lessons. For me I would take something new than work on it and apply it and see if you can transmit to the course. As far as range time, make sure there is a solid balance of short game to the range time. I say 60% short game 40% swing foundation. 

[Righty to Lefty]

I agree with most of what has been said already in that you will use a lesson to build some structure and give you guidance that will send you towards the correct path but much of your progress will come through discovery on your own.  It will also take time to really  engrain and trust all of the things that you will discover so too many  lesson will likely set you back more than they help. There is so much to learn early on that it will be overwhelming at times because right when you think you got it....you will have a setback. The important is to continually build on your foundational principles so that you are never set back to square one.  

[nitram]

As others have mentioned you can overload yourself with lessons and swing "thoughts". Mental clarity normally translates to better golf. You have an accelerated schedule to try and reach your goal. While rare, it is obtainable and given your athletic background it is possible, with the right approach.

 

You seem to already have a coach. Have an honest talk with him/her and see where they think you are and how you are progressing towards your goal.

 

Once you have a good idea on your shot tendencies and strengths, play as much golf as you can with better golfers than you and learn from them. Pay close attention on their course management and how they play to their strengths and predominant shot shape. Ask them intelligent questions.

 

Take this test: http://www.jmgolfacademy.com/dave-pelz-short-game-handicap/

and work on the identified weaknesses. I'd take this test every fortnight to gauge progress.

 

Find a mentor and use him/her.

 

Again, play golf, as much as possible and identify where you need the most help. For me (and most others) it's long approach shots (190+) and where I devote most of my full swing practice. 

 

Good luck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Coy M]

This has to be a troll 

[adamscottmaster2013]

1 hour ago, Coy M said:

This has to be a troll 

If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it.  I am a big fan of Adam Scott and Roger Federer because both of them wear Uniqlo

 

 

[Krt22]

3 hours ago, Coy M said:

This has to be a troll 

Why? It's not normal for a teenager to have their parents spend $1000+ a month on lessons, a trainer, golf membership, etc to have their son who has never golfed walk onto a D1 college golf team with 4 months of prep, while still playing tennis 3hrs a day? 

[wagolfer7]

18 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

Monte is right.  Too many golf lessons aren't exactly a good thing.  When I was in high school, I would get lessons on a weekly basis.  I was a 2 cap starting senior year in high school and maintained that into my late 20's before getting hitched and I started expanding my business exponentially.  You have one thing going for you which is that you're already athletic and you're muscle memory is used to the swinging movement.  If you want to make your college team you need to start working out in the gym in order to increase distance off the tee.  I'm sorry to tell you and will be brutally honest with you, but 270 off the tee isn't going to cut it at the college level unless your short game kicks so much a** that it makes up for lack of distance.  I played on my college team as a walk on and I started working out in the gym at your age because I knew I need to be longer than 285 off the tee.  I am a personal trainer so let me know if you need any help with the fitness side of things. 

 

I would disagree with this.  You don't exactly see a bunch of mini DeChambeau's, hulking out of their golf shirts, blasting it 350 off the tee at the collegiate level.  

 

Stick with playing the game of golf and whatever your normal exercise / work out routine is, that allowed you to play Tennis at D1 level.  You'll gain plenty of more distance through improving your swing and gaining more confidence.  Only 6 months into playing golf, more time on the golf course is probably going to be what benefits your score the most, not extra time pumping iron.  

 

[phizzy30]

9 minutes ago, wagolfer7 said:

 

I would disagree with this.  You don't exactly see a bunch of mini DeChambeau's, hulking out of their golf shirts, blasting it 350 off the tee at the collegiate level.  

 

Stick with playing the game of golf and whatever your normal exercise / work out routine is, that allowed you to play Tennis at D1 level.  You'll gain plenty of more distance through improving your swing and gaining more confidence.  Only 6 months into playing golf, more time on the golf course is probably going to be what benefits your score the most, not extra time pumping iron.  

 

Bryson is an anomaly not the norm, well, now he is.  I have clients that are at the high school, college and pro level.  Most kids on their college team these days are hitting it longer than 270 off the tee.  Closer to 290 on average.  You're way behind the curve if you're a short hitter even at the collegiate level. 

Edited May 13, 2021 by phizzy30

[wagolfer7]

13 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

Bryson is an anomaly not the norm, well, now he is.  I have clients that are at the high school, college and pro level.  Most kids on their college team these days are hitting it longer than 270 off the tee.  Closer to 290 on average.  You're way behind the curve if you're a short hitter even at the collegiate level. 

 

I'm not disputing your distance data.  I'm saying an already D1 athlete, is going to gain a ton of yardage by improving their swing.  Especially one that has only been golfing for 6 months.  If it were me in this situation, I would be on the golf course as much as possible.  Practicing and playing is going to help his distance, score, consistency and everything else related to playing better golf.  Gaining muscle would not be something I'd be concerned about at this stage.  

 

I disagree with this statement.  As hitting the gym, is not the only way for him to gain distance on the tee. 

 

"If you want to make your college team you need to start working out in the gym in order to increase distance off the tee."

[phizzy30]

7 hours ago, wagolfer7 said:

 

I'm not disputing your distance data.  I'm saying an already D1 athlete, is going to gain a ton of yardage by improving their swing.  Especially one that has only been golfing for 6 months.  If it were me in this situation, I would be on the golf course as much as possible.  Practicing and playing is going to help his distance, score, consistency and everything else related to playing better golf.  Gaining muscle would not be something I'd be concerned about at this stage.  

 

I disagree with this statement.  As hitting the gym, is not the only way for him to gain distance on the tee. 

 

"If you want to make your college team you need to start working out in the gym in order to increase distance off the tee."

I will agree to disagree with you on this one and leave it at that. 

[80sFredriksson]

Wow talk about a full schedule